Life: Idiotropic

Yesterday I was cranky from being cooped up in the house, so I had the little ones ready to leave the second Kirk and Tiara came home. We drove 5 minutes away to the local castle, Trips Burg. The "water castle" built in the 15th century and then expanded in the 17th century was built on four islands surrounded by water. There are beautiful pathways extending far beyond the castle for biking, walking, and jogging. We saw people there feeding ducks and gorgeous swans. Now I know where we'll go when we have stale bread. The swans were storybook in their elegance with perfectly orange beaks and bright white feathers. We even saw one black swan with a red beak. The castle isn't huge, but it's still a castle and is beautiful with it's surrounding water and stately manner. Part of it has been modernized with new windows and is used as a care facility for the elderly. The other parts are closed off to the public, but the trails all around are heavily used. We walked quite a distance enjoying the scenery. Not far from the castle down the path is a wonderful old reflecting pool. At first I thought it was just a pretty pond, but it has a perfect oval shape with gorgeous oaks planted around it. The reflection is amazing - perfectly glass-like. Kirk said that oaks are planted around reflecting pools and the branches and cuttings thrown into the water, so in the summer with the heat, the tannins from the oaks turn the water black and thus give off a near perfect mirror reflection. We'll go to this castle a lot. It's close and the girls will enjoy walking and riding their bicycles there in the warmer weather. I have to get more photos of that reflecting pool... I've never seen anything like it.

Tiara will want to go back too. She saw a ton of dogs there and, as you know, she LOVES dogs. Here is seems that owning a dog is like owning a pair of socks. You just have one. I think bicycles are the same way actually. I have never in my life seen more dogs and bicycles than I have here. People walk A LOT. I see people walking their dogs constantly. Wonderfully bundled up ladies with scarves and warm woolen hats will walk by with their bags for groceries, then 40 minutes later I'll see them walk by my window again with their bags full. The girls love to see all the dogs in all shapes and sizes getting their daily walks here too. Germany is VERY dog friendly. Last week when we went out for pizza, a man came in to get some food and brought his dog with him. No on gave him a second glance. Dogs are allowed in restaurants and grocery stores and are taken everywhere as one would haul their children - may be more so. The bicycles are wonderful too. They have very strict laws so all bicycles are equipped with one headlight and a horn and reflectors. It's so nice to see so many people of all ages out riding their bikes and in any kind of weather too. After being in Oklahoma for so long where you only saw your neighbors during the two temperate months of the year, it is refreshing to see so many people outside.

Today we drove around a bit. The kids and I decided to check out a wild animal park nearby, but it was very quiet and no one was there, so we drove around and explored a bit around our new village. I almost got run over by a big truck. They have narrow roads here anyway and in some places they make an S shape with sidewalk areas jutting out into the road on one side and then the other... I think they are there just to slow down traffic. Unless there is a sign, then there are no clear rules, just first come, first served. I got there first, so I entered it, but a big BIG truck thought it should go too, so it kept on going and would have hit me if I had not have driven onto the sidewalk. Now I know a new rule: always wait for the big trucks. They don't care who they hit. We went to the Extra, a big grocery/knick knack store in Gangelt. It was nice to look around. The shopping carts here (at all stores) cost one Euro. At IKEA, the are only 50 Euro cents, so I have one of each coin in my purse to use. The carts are all neatly stored locked together. You place your coin in a slot and once the coin locks in, then the cart comes loose from the other carts and you can use it. If you want your coin back, then you simply return your cart, lock it in, then your coin pops out. A Euro is a little more than a dollar, so needless to say, they have no stray shopping carts rolling all over the lot and there is no need for an employee to spend his time collecting them. Another thing (something that I forgot about today) is that they don't bag anything. No paper nor plastic. You bring your own bags or carry it out yourself. You load it into your cart or bag yourself. Again, it is very efficient (for them) and saves on bags and employees. Most stores have cloth bags you can purchase for a Euro. The Extra was nice. It was a decent sized grocery store but also had a random selection of household things like a drug store might have. We got a couple pastries to try at the backerei inside. So far all the grocery stores that I've been to have a little backerei counter right outside the checkout stands, so you pick up your freshly baked items afterwards and pay for them separately. Right by the door was a little stand with Dolmas, herbed cheese, stuffed peppers and many other Mediteranean delights. The nice man there gave each of the girls a sample of some creamy white cheese and I ordered some dolmas to go. There are a lot of Turkish people here in Germany, so it's not uncommon to find Turkish restaurants and food stands here.

When we first got here we saw enormous piles of sugar beats laying in the fields all around. Geilenkirchen and the surrounding areas. Slowly the piles are disappearing as trucks take them wherever. I guess the local apple juice plant uses them for their sugar and it is the main crop here. I've heard that the locals aren't fond of them -- the large melon-sized, potato-like vegetables often tumble off the truck onto the road and irritate drivers who have to swirve to miss them. In this cold, they are near frozen and would not be pleasant to hit with your car. I saw quite a pile of them on the road on the way to pick up Kirk and Tiara today and can understand why the Germans would get annoyed at them.

Today Tiara brought home her folder from school with all of her work in it. She is excelling at school! I am so proud of her. All of her work is A+ work and she got 100% on her biography poster/oral report project. The kids voted for the top 4 and Tiara made it into the top 4 too! She was soooo excited especially being the new student. Next week is a school dance. She's excited and nervous. Only a couple of her friends have dates and Tiara is hoping that no one asks her. She's not quite ready for that, but she is excited to go and hang out with her friends. They are also doing secret santa's next week and she got her friend's name, so that is fun for her. I am thrilled that she is doing so well academically, but equally as happy that she is fitting in and making friends there.

Next week will be the last week before the Christmas break. Tonight I'd hoped to take Gillrath's steam train to see St. Nikolaus, but everyone was too tired, so we'll do that next weekend. Tomorrow we're going to Cologne again and Sunday we're meeting some friends in Aachen. I'll send more photos and a little note when the weekend is over. Monday we'll start moving and email could be hit or miss. Have a wonderful weekend. I am thinking of you all. I tried to get the Christmas packages out today, but the post office closed early. Nice, eh? So, now we have an appointment (didn't know I could get an appointment at the post office... not bad) on Monday before they open. I think I'll start doing all my mailing that way! So... with some luck the packages will arrive before Christmas and if not, please know that they are coming and we are thinking of you all. Tiffany